Virginia Tech fined $55K for shooting response

Tuesday

The U.S. Department of Education has fined Virginia Tech $55,000 for waiting too long to notify students during a 2007 shooting rampage.

RICHMOND, Va. — The U.S. Department of Education has fined Virginia Tech $55,000 for waiting too long to notify students during a 2007 shooting rampage.

The amount was the maximum fine Tech faced for two violations of the federal Clery Act, which requires timely reporting of crimes on campus.

In announcing the fine Tuesday, department officials said the violation warranted a fine “far in excess” of $55,000. Violations and fines are rare, with only a few dozen over the past two decades.

The department found in December that Virginia Tech violated the law when officials waited two hours to notify campus after a gunman shot two students in a dormitory early on April 16, 2007. He killed 30 others two hours later, just after the alert went out.

The university says it will appeal.

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